The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-28
now TO GET NATURAL GAS
Il Can Be Brought Here by Properly
amending the Councils Ordinance.
Judge MartindaIe Suggests Few Changes
that Should Be uade-Pipe Line Com
NAMES Preparing to Enter the Field.

At.+f WISDOM
- make the gas ordinance what it should
- Yesterday afternoon a Journal re-
sor,er asked Judge E. B. MartndaIe what he
.horcht Of the ordinance and the natural gas
.;,ration generally: Il do not think the ordi-
..rce that has passed the Council" he replied,
!. mat in its details will be satisfactory to anv
,omnany or to individuals contemplating the
.rnnlving of natural gas to the city. think, in
,ba first place, that undue magnitude is given to
,ha Standard Oil organization, as it is
,a-med. 1t should be remembered that
,ha Standard Oil Company proper has
not lease nor well in the
c,ste of Indiana That is the fact
his true that parties connected with that COM
panv in other enterprises have largo amount
of land leased and one well, known the Vain
wight well, at Nobesville Now that looks
like very small capital which to base SO
much excitement and noise, doesn't tl Persons
certainly don't believe that all the gas to supply
indianapolis must come from the Wainwright
we'll The people Of Indianapolis don't under
stand the number of wells and the amount of
captal put into them by our own people in
prospecting for gas for this city No less than
sixten wells are now being bored Tor are
under contract) within radius of fifteen miles
of this city. Only three of these have been
completed-one at Bridgeport, one at Bright
wood and one at Broad Ripple. And two of
these produced gas, while the third, no
doubt would have produced little, had it been
shot The other thirteen wells going down
three of them south of the city, two at Irving
ton, one at Philadelphia in Hancock county,
fifteen miles from here; one at the Wolf farm
one and half mile northeast of Brightwood;
one at Lawrence, one at Twelfth street. one
- vsI1 L1;.1o
one at Westfeld, two north of Haughvile and
one northwest of Crown Hill, on the river
These enterprises are all conducted by
Indianapolis men and indianapolis capt.
tai. venture you have not heard
a word of disappointment or bowling
at the Council for passing an acceptable
ordinance by anybody who has put dollar of
money in prospecting 1t certainly is wise
10 Jump to the conclusion that Indianapolis will
be compelled to depend upon Noblesville, Green
field or Anderson for gas-at least, until some
of the many wells in course of construction
completed and we know exactly the city sur
roundines, far gas is concerned. The
ordinance itself is crude, unreason able, and
would not be accepted by the Standard Oil or
any other conn any until it is amended"
What amendments do you think ought to be
madel"
in the first place the ordinance starts out re-
curing the company to give personal bond of
$4,000, which is to run for nifty years more,
and to the shortcomings of stockholders in
corporation, perhaps constantly changing in
membership. No man of property and sagacity
would 60 upon such a bond under any circum-
stances. No could tell who might be the
stockholders the next year. the year after
ward, and that bond is for everything for which
the company itself should be held responsible.
The plant itself is guaranty for all this, and the
requirement. of bond of that kind in the start
looks like trying to arrange a way to throttle
enterprise. 1t is sufficient for the city that all
the plant is under her supervision, and if the
company becomes insolvent worthless, the
city can have the pipes taken up.
The second Objectionable and offensive
provision is requiring the company to keep
the streets of Indianapolis in repair for two
Yeas wherever they lay pipes. perfectly
well aware the city has been greatly abused by
present corporations refusing to repair streets
they have torn up and improperly put down;
but to seek compensation by requiring any new
company coming in to keep the streets in repair
for two years is indecent proposition. The
ordinance is oppressive in requiring n company
to supply all the gas the city buildings and
school-houses consume to be given Free and at
the same time compelling the company to pay a
revenue of three cents per foot annually upon
all the pipe it lays down in the city. This last
clause IS embargo the laying of pipe
instead of an encouragement The first provision
IS an excessive taxation. The city may consume
$1,000 worth of gas in its various buildings.
This the company would have to give in add-
ton to paying its regular taxes upon it's plant,
which would be about per cent. per annum.
These provisions give the ordinance the appear
ance OF being uEfriendly to the enterprise and
towards capital that might be disposed to invest
IN the new fuel. Then, again, the schedule |
Of prices as provided in the. ordinance
Is too indefinite. Fifty per cent upon
the net cost of coal does not mean anything |
definitely. 1t would be easy enough to give an |
exact price at which the gas shall be furnished |
for all purposes, without using a meter.
Then it is provided that il any matter arises in |
dispute upon this indefinite contract that the |
company shall have voice in the dispute but |
1t shall be referred to and be settled by Council
committee, whose decision shall be final That |
would not be decent provision in any ordi-
nance. Where parties put their capital in a
plant of this kind they should have a
voice when q controversy arises, and arbi-
appointed. When a definite ordinance
Is made and these unfriendly provisions changed,
wish to say there will be trouble whatever
In securing both the gas and the capital to put in
the cas- in the shortest possible time. The gen.
era rates are not Objectionable as to the amounts,
Tor they are made definite. Unless we get
rates as low as these there will be no induce
ment to foreign capital to invest in factories
here.
The provisions OF this Johannesburg an
open ordinance-may be accepted by any com
pany, and undoubtedly will be accepted by more
IMAM one as soon ms the ordinance Is perfected. |
put II the city wants to secure the lowest posi-
pie rates for gas the way TO do is to give the
iranchlse 10 one company after receiving sealed
oos Tor thirty days, giving the charter to the
der the schedule for supplying gas to
. 1ne city and citizens, and manufacturers.
ms VIII secure gas at Ia lower rate than that
specified in the ordinance that has passed the |
Council, and it will limit the work of tearing up
the streets to responsible company. Let
me company give bond in the of $50, 900
mat 1t will put in the liant and supply the gas
at the price named y its bid. If such plan is
adopted and advertisements given there would
20 plenty Of capital bidding for the franchise,
ana much cheaper gas would be secured than by
an open ordinance This plan is being adopted
~ many cities in the matter of water supply.
racine, Wis, received bids a few months ago
plant TO half million, and got her
nydrants at $50 a year. Kokomo, by con-
tract, got her hydrants at 500 year,
while Indianapolis pays $50 year
An order TO secure low bids the ordinance should
9e amended to allow any company that lays
aown mains and undertakes to supply the gas,
70 manufacture its gas, and supply 1t to factor
.es ia case the natural gas supply should become
exhausted. There is no such provision in the
present ordinance That can be done by chang
ing the ordinance to read to supply artificial or
nataral Gas for fuel purposes The fact is. it is
Low claimed by the rolling mill of this city, that
1nat company is manufacturing artificial gas for